


Scarlet Hearts

by KiraKpop



Category: ENHYPEN (Band), K-pop, TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band), fromis_9 (Band)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Angst, Bullying, Drama, Drugs, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Kidnapping, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, Wealth, Wonki, sunsun - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:54:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27610012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiraKpop/pseuds/KiraKpop
Summary: Sunoo wasn’t sure what was happening until it was actually happening; Sunghoon gripped his fingers around Sunoo’s shoulder, and his face immediately heated up. Sunghoon's hand was unexpectedly warm.Then Sunghoon put the camera in selfie mode, faced it towards them, put on the signature beaming smile that Sunoo had seen on TV… and then snapped a photo of the two.---One year at Scarlet Ace Academy is all it takes to change the life of Kim Sunoo and everyone around him.
Relationships: Kim Sunoo/Park Sunghoon, Nishimura Riki | Ni-ki/Yang Jungwon, Shim Jaeyoon | Jake/Baek Jiheon
Comments: 20
Kudos: 107





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my co-writer, who I will call Wammy. This fanfic wouldn't exist without your contributions, and I probably would've been in permanent writer's block if it weren't for all the ideas you've come up with. Thank you!

Jay was startled awake by the sound of glass banging against the wall. He grunted and checked the time on his watch. 2:31 AM. He pulled the covers over his head, trying to block out the sharp ringing sound that felt like it was piercing his skull. He didn’t want to deal with his drunk-of-a-father right now. He was already dealing with what seemed like the worst headache of his life.

He heard the slam of a fist against the downstairs wall and incomprehensible yelling. He couldn’t quite piece together what he was saying but knew very well that he’d be taking the brunt of his father’s wrath. 

And just as he predicted, the thumping footsteps grew louder and louder, and the echoes resonated throughout the house. Jay’s body froze up, and he fell into a somewhat paralyzed state. The ringing in his ears had become louder than ever, and he wasn’t sure whether he was even alive. It felt like his body was shutting down on him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his dad stumble in the middle of his room. He smelled like weed and beer. “Fuckin’ Clover Cosmetics…” his monster of a father mumbled and stared down at Jay with a look of disgust. He reached down and grabbed his arm, forcing him out of bed, and he winced as he hit the floor.

“Who said you could fuckin’ sleep,” he slurred and grabbed Jay by the collar. 

His tears pushed forward before he could stop them. He wanted to fight back, but he couldn’t move. His chest got tighter, and his lungs felt like someone had crushed them. He couldn’t remember how to breathe. 

“Huh? Not gonna answer me?” the monster pulled his free arm back and swung his fist, catching Jay right in the jaw. He felt his lip split from the impact. He winced at the pain, and tears prickled at the corners of his eyes, begging to be released. A few drops of blood gathered together and slid down his face. 

He attempted to wiggle from his father’s grip, but all he got was a sadistic laugh. Jay looked up to him, ready to beg for mercy, but a disoriented glare was all that met his eyes. Instead of letting him go, he grabbed onto Jay’s collar with both hands and threw him against the bedroom wall. The collision knocked the air straight out of his lungs, making him gasp and grab his stomach, his body protesting against the sudden wave of breathlessness. He could move again, but at only the expense of his own body.

“No more…” Jay managed to speak, but it came out so quietly that he was sure his father couldn’t hear him. The monster seemed to be satisfied with his work, as he gave a light kick to Jay’s side and proceeded to wobble out of the room, likely in search of another beer.

Jay needed to get out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers!!!
> 
> Rating: M (Includes violence, some coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes)
> 
> Disclaimer 1: This story will take place from multiple perspectives (all in the third person) depending on the scene and chapter. There will be multiple storylines, and eventually, relationships that are all interconnected in some way. Dashes convey a POV switch.
> 
> Disclaimer 2: I have very little knowledge about certain aspects included in this story (Ex. Figure Skating, Musical Theatre, The geography of South Korea, etc.), so please allow for some possible inconsistent or unrealistic explanations/situations. I will do my best to accurately represent these things, but if you have experience or knowledge in these areas and notice a detail that I could write better, please feel free to comment!
> 
> Disclaimer 3: Some ages of the characters are the same as their real-life ages. However, I made changes for certain characters to follow the storyline I have planned. And please keep in mind that these are their INITIAL ages, and they will age as time passes.
> 
> Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

Sunoo fixed the tie on his uniform and glanced at himself in the mirror. He tilted his head right and left, scrutinizing every inch of his skin to make sure it was in good condition. And then he twisted around to check the back of his uniform, making sure it wasn’t wrinkled. After his satisfaction check, he grinned at himself. 

“I look good,” he said to himself, pushing his silky hair back and feeling his confidence increase. Despite his lack of sleep, he was excited. He then smacked his cheeks a bit, trying to wake himself up and get his adrenaline running. The first day back at school as a third-year student - his final year at Scarlet Ace Academy. And he’d finally be spending it with his best friend, Jiheon, who wasn’t there with him during his first few years. He’d missed going to school with her.

He grabbed his bag and got ready to go. He went down the stairs and saw his mom sitting on the couch, watching TV. 

“Okay, mom, I’m heading off.” He waved to her while walking to the entrance of their house.

His mom turned around with a piece of Kimbap still in her mouth. “Mk, say hi toh Jiheon fo mwe!” she said while still chewing and waved back. 

Sunoo stifled a laugh and put his hand on the doorknob. “Sure, I’ll say hi to Jiheon for you. See ya later.” She just nodded in return, and he turned the doorknob, leaving his house and stepping out into the chilly air. It was slightly cold, but the wind had a nice contrast with the beating sun. He descended their paved driveway and quickly glanced at the house next to his.

Jake, his childhood friend and neighbor for his entire life, lived there. He thought about waiting for Jake to come out of his house so he could walk with him, but he didn’t want to be late. Sunoo still had to drop by Jiheon’s house. It was her first year at Scarlet Ace, after all, and he missed walking to school with her. He got to spend the entire summer hanging out with her, but it’d been too long since they walked to school together.

After a few minutes of navigating different neighborhoods, Sunoo finally arrived at Jiheon’s house. It was a gorgeous mansion, quite fitting for one of the most influential families in South Korea. Jiheon’s dad owned Clover Cosmetics, the most famous makeup brand in Korea. And to top it off, her mom owned the largest shipping company in Seoul.

Sunoo had been fortunate enough to be considered part of Jiheon’s “family.” He’d known Jiheon since middle school, and they’d been inseparable ever since, so her mom and dad pretty much claimed him. With his connection to Jiheon’s family, he attended Scarlet Ace Academy, a prestigious private school that required a hefty tuition cost. 

His family wasn’t poor, not by any means, but they weren’t well off enough to afford the tuition. But because Sunoo was so close to Jiheon, her parents insisted that they would take care of the cost. He’d spent his first two years as a High Schooler there, but Jiheon and her family were in Japan during that time. Her father was pushing the promotion of Clover Cosmetics to Japanese customers, so as a result, the Yang family was in Japan for two years. 

But now, he and Jiheon would finally be spending their last year of High School together, and it would be her first year attending Scarlet Ace Academy. 

He strode forward and knocked on the door three times, as he did in the past. He could hear rustling sounds from inside the house, but no movement of the door. He tilted his head and tried knocking again, but before he got the chance, it swung open violently. There was Jiheon, with a flustered expression. 

“Ah, Sunoo! One second!” She shut the door in his face. He tilted his head in confusion but didn’t bother questioning it. He backed up and leaned to the left to check through her window. He saw her scrambling here and there, almost as if she was looking for something. Then within a couple of seconds, she’d found what she was looking for and was pointing an accusatory finger at her little brother Jungwon. He shook his head and smiled gently. They were true siblings, never getting along. 

She finally opened the door again, wiping the bead of sweat that collected on her forehead.

“Ugh, sorry! I was looking for my bag for like 10 minutes, only to find out Jungwon moved it to the front door closet cause it was apparently “in his way” on the kitchen table. He could’ve just told me, the brat…” She huffed and jogged forward to catch up with him. 

“Wow… I see you too are getting along well, as always,” Sunoo teased, poking her shoulder. “I think we’ll be late now, cause’ of you.” 

Her lips curled downwards as she started walking with him. “We’ll be late cause’ of him!”

Sunoo almost matched her pace but was just a tad in front of her, leading her to the academy. “Hey, look on the bright side. He hasn’t even left yet, so he’s late too. Isn’t this his first year at Scarlet Ace?”

She let out a breath of exasperation. “It is! But he’s probably skipping the first day. His friend Ni-Ki is sleeping over again, and he hasn’t even woken up yet.”

“Ni-Ki… that’s the guy Jungwon met when you all were in Japan, right?” Sunoo asked.

Jiheon adjusted her bag as they walked, so it hung over her left side. “Yup. They met at the Middle School we attended there.”

“Guess that means Ni-Ki’s parents are filthy rich, right?” he presumed, raising his eyebrows. “The tuition for that school in Japan is even more expensive than Scarlet Ace.”

“Mhm, his dad owns some pretty famous dance studios all around the world. Ni-Ki apparently dances too. But instead of staying at the main studio in Japan, he decided to come live with his grandma in Korea,” she replied, shrugging. “It’s kinda crazy to me, but he seems to like it here, and he’s really close with Jungwon, so whatever.” 

“Damn, he and Jungwon must really be close…” Sunoo said while adjusting his bag so that it matched Jiheon’s. 

“Pretty much attached at the hip.” Jiheon nodded in confirmation and then pulled out a pack of gum. She held it out and shook it gently. “Want one?” 

“Nah, too much sugar.” he waved his hand at her. “I’m on a diet.”

She just stared at him, blankly, with pursed lips. “It’s sugar-free, idiot.” 

“Uhm, too many calories?” he retorted back. “Anyways! Moving on,” he didn’t miss the chuckle that she tried to hide behind her hand. “So you’re... still rocking blue hair?”

“Yeah, why? I think it’s cute.” she smiled and fluffed her hair up. “I even added some waves. Did you notice?” 

Sunoo sighed and stretched his arms out. “Sure, sure.” He smiled at the thought of Jiheon meticulously braiding her hair before bed to ensure that it’d be wavy by morning. “But I thought you would’ve done another color for the first day of school. You’ve had blue for… how long now?” 

She crossed her arms. “Since the beginning of summer break, when I got back from Japan. It’s a brand new school for me, so it’s not like anyone has seen it yet. Plus…” She hid her face in her hands, but Sunoo saw her peeking between her fingers to avoid tripping. 

“Plus…?” Sunoo raised his eyebrow. 

“Park Sunghoon… goes to Scarlet Ace!” she let out a high pitched squeal. Sunoo pushed his hair back and chuckled at her reaction. 

“Ahh, of course, that’s why…” Sunoo said, but then stopped. “Wait, what does Sunghoon have to do with your hair color?

Jiheon stopped with him. “Oh my god, you don’t know? His outfit during the last national Figure Skating championship was blue and silver! And I can’t do silver cause I’d look like an old lady. So blue it is.”

Sunoo just rolled his eyes and started walking again, this time at a slightly faster pace. “I really can’t with you.” 

“Shut up! It’s justified, okay? Maybe he’ll notice. Right? Right?” She leaned over to him as she spoke, giggling with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Tsk, crazy ice skating fangirl.” 

She backed up and pouted. “Figure skating, to be specific. And…” a mischievous smile appeared on her face. “You like it too. Don’t lie. You were freaking out just as much when I texted you that Sunghoon won a gold medal.”

“That’s not…” Sunoo shook his head. “Well, I can’t help it, Sunghoon is representing both our country and our school. And he’s… um, well, he’s pretty impressive too.”

She raised the corner of her lip. “You’re secretly a fan too, I know it. That’s why you never approached him for a picture or autograph even when I asked you to!”

“I didn’t approach him cause’ I couldn’t approach him! Like, physically. He’s always surrounded by people.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Mhm, sure, that’s why.”

She was clearly teasing, but Sunoo still felt his face heating up at the accusation. True, Sunghoon was quite… attractive. But... a fan? Before Jiheon went off to Japan, he watched figure skating competitions with her, but he wasn’t a loyal watcher. And he’d indeed seen Sunghoon in the hallways during his time at Scarlet Ace, but people always surrounded him, and it’s not like he would’ve approached him. He seemed unreachable.

Plus, he was more interested in Theatre, anyway. He’d outshined his peers in the Musical Theatre club, even as a first-year, so he got promoted to Vice President of the club pretty quickly.

“Okay, okay, let’s stop talking about Park Sunghoon. We’re nearly at school.” He looked up and saw the silver gates of Scarlet Ace Academy.

\---

Jiheon gazed at the sparkling gates that surrounded the multiple buildings of Scarlet Ace Academy. She looked over at Sunoo with bewilderment and tried to contain the buzzing excitement that flowed through her body. It was all so overwhelming. Everything was happening at once. Here she was, at a new school, and she’d be breathing the same air as her idol. It was surreal to her.

“Sunoo, Sunoo, Sunoo!” She shook his arm as they walked through the gates and made little hops up and down on the pavement.

“What what what?” he gave her a sly smile. “You excited?”

“Um, that’s an understatement,” She was nearly shaking from the adrenaline pumping through her. “I just… what do I do if I see him? Should I try talking to him?” She kept clinging to Sunoo, multiple scenarios running through her head. She imagined he’d be just as dreamy as he was on the ice. 

Sunoo just shrugged. “Listen, that’s up to you. You know he’s called the Ice Prince for a reason, right?”

“Because… he’s the prince of ice skating?”

Sunoo yawned and stretched out his free arm. “Well, yes. But even though people always surround him, he’s got an icy persona. He doesn’t really interact with people much. He’s kinda like a statue, you can look at him, but talking might not get you anywhere. At least that’s what I’ve heard.” 

They finally made it through the main school entrance and started walking through the front hallway, decked out with marble flooring. It was nothing new to Jiheon; the beauty and extravagance of the interior and exterior design was similar to both the school she attended in Japan and her middle school. 

Jiheon pressed her lips into a thin line and let go of his arm. “Why didn’t you tell me this beforehand?” 

“Well, I didn’t wanna ruin your hopes and dreams. You thought Sunghoon was a perfect boy right out of a Shoujo manga, right?” He looked at her expectantly.

“Just… him being him is good enough for me.” She giggled and continued her daydreaming, not being able to shake the thought of their eyes meeting. 

“Okay, you can fantasize about him later. Let’s get going; you should be grateful we got put in the same class.” He started walking in front of her, and she trailed behind.

“Do you think Sunghoon will be in our class?” she asked, clasping her hands together and imagining sitting behind him, in front of him, or even next to him…

“Nope. I already saw the class list, and he’s not. The only chance you’ve got is during lunch hour.” He gave her a sad smile and a shrug as they reached their classroom. 

She slumped over in defeat, her daydreams immediately shattering. But, Sunoo was right - she could get her chance to spot him during lunch. She looked around the classroom and saw her classmates already sitting with each other. There were two free desks in the back, and she tried to grab Sunoo’s hand and pull him over, but it seemed like he had the same idea. He rushed to the seats and slammed his bag on the one in front. Jiheon ran to the one behind him and quickly sat down, claiming it before anyone else could.

“Hell yeah,” Jiheon quietly cheered. “We got a spot together!”

Sunoo turned around to grin at her and gave her a cheeky thumbs up. “The day’s already going well.”

**\-- 1 hour later --**

Jiheon felt someone lightly tapping her shoulder, but she didn’t want them to interrupt her. She was on a cruise liner in Hawaii, gazing at the waves with Sunghoon and drinking orange juice, and-

“Jiheon, I swear to god, if you don’t wake up right now, I’ll take a picture of you drooling on your desk and post it on Instagram.” 

Those words made her practically burst out of her desk, and she stumbled after accidentally stepping on her bag. She looked up at the perpetrator of the threat. “Sunoo? Wha- what’s …?”

“You fell asleep in class, idiot. It’s already lunchtime.” He bonked her on the head lightly and picked up her bag, wrenching it from underneath her feet. “Didn’t you want to go Sunghoon spotting?”

“I already was,” she mumbled. “Until you woke me up…” She snatched the bag from Sunoo and grabbed a pocket mirror from the front, checking her face. Her skin was clear, no drool in sight. She closed the mirror. “You said I was drooling!” she huffed at him, putting her hands on her hips.

Sunoo had already started walking out of the room. “I only said that to wake you up. Let’s go eat; all the good food’s probably taken already.”

**\-- 5 minutes later --**

Jiheon couldn’t help but be shocked, gazing at the buffet-style spread in the middle of the meal room. There were multiple counters with selections ranging from beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, various varieties of kimchi and noodles, and as many side dishes and desserts as a sane person could want. She gulped, trying to swallow back the saliva that had collected in her mouth.

_Don’t overeat,_ she said to herself. _Don’t do it, Jiheon._

“So, this is the meal room. What do you think? Just as fancy as the one in Japan?” Sunoo headed over to a free table in the right corner of the room, and Jiheon followed close behind him.

She shook her head with vigor and took a seat across from him. “No way. In Japan, we’d only have a few meal selections per day, and we’d have to pick from those. This is… I’ve only seen stuff like this at those fancy parties daddy has for product announcements.” she gulped and took one more look around. “This is kinda insane.” 

Sunoo giggled at her enthusiasm and placed his bag on the table. “I’ve gotten used to it by now, but yeah, it’s definitely somethin’ else. Let’s-” 

But something, or rather someone, made Sunoo clam up. He turned to Jiheon, eyes wide, and motioned to the left. She looked over and straight across the cafeteria… 

Park Sunghoon. 

She was petrified at that very moment. All she could do was fix her gaze onto Sunghoon, her idol, who was a mere room’s length away from her. She couldn’t help but stare and follow him with her eyes. She took in every single aspect of him. He was wearing the same uniform as all the other boys in school, but his jacket was left open, almost in a casual and undignified manner. But his aura was indeed that of an ice prince. He walked just like every other person in the room; not even a twinge of superiority could be felt. But still, he was… different. He was important. And everyone knew it. The adoring stares of both girls and boys followed him. There were only a few people around him; it didn’t seem like his close friends, but more so just those who were brave enough to try and break his shell of indifference. They trailed behind him like eager puppies.

Sunoo waved his hand in front of her. “You good?” he asked, giving her a quizzical smile. 

Jiheon snapped out of the dazed state she was trapped in. “Y-yeah, I mean- that’s- it’s Park Sunghoon! Freaking Park Sunghoon is right across the room from us. How are you not freaking out?!” 

Sunoo rested his head in his left hand, raising her eyebrow at Jiheon. “I’ve seen him around in the hallways and meal room for the past two years. Am I supposed to be shocked?” 

“Sunoo. Sunoo, look at me.” Jiheon scooted closer to him from across the table, almost halfway across it. “I need you to do me a favor.”

Sunoo leaned back. “Personal space, first of all. And what is it?”

“Go see if he’ll take a picture with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Happy birthday Sunghoon!_
> 
> I plan to upload bi-weekly. If something comes up and I can't, I'll let you know.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to comment your thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

Jungwon skipped towards the stairs, humming a song that's been stuck in his head for the whole morning. He couldn’t remember its name, but it had an addicting beat. 

He’d wasted the morning watching movies and practicing Kpop dances by himself while he waited for Ni-Ki to wake up. He wasn’t planning on skipping school today, but Ni-Ki refused to get out of bed, even when Jungwon reminded him that they wouldn’t get seats together if they missed the first day. Ni-Ki just waved away the thought in his half-asleep stupor and said he was satisfied just being in the same class together.

And Jungwon wasn’t planning to go to school without him, so he just accepted the situation. Convincing Ni-Ki to listen to him was a challenging feat; he was stubborn as a mule.

He took hold of the gold plated railing and rushed up the steps, planning to *hopefully* wake Ni-Ki up, although that was unlikely.

He reached the entrance of his room and opened it to see Ni-Ki sprawled across his bed with the blanket left on the floor. He was snoring quietly with his face planted in the pillow. 

Jungwon’s lips crept upwards as he thought about how he could bother Ni-Ki, and he tiptoed up to the bed. Without wasting time, he launched himself from the floor and pounced beside Ni-Ki, hugging him from behind and snuggling into his neck. Ni-Ki groaned in response and turned his head to see Jungwon smiling next to him. 

“What is it?” Ni-Ki said groggily, face planting back into the pillow.

“It’s time for you to wake up. It’s lunchtime already,” Jungwon sat up and clasped onto Ni-Ki’s arm. “I had to skip school because of you. Don’t you feel guilty?”

“Nope,” Ni-Ki grunted. “And I don’t wanna wake up.”

“Cmon…” Jungwon pulled at his arm. “I’ve been bored all day without you. Let’s at least do something fun if we’re skipping school. Let’s learn a dance or something.” 

“Mm, don’t wanna.” Ni-Ki protested, once again.

Jungwon sighed, finding it difficult to argue with Ni-Ki. They were already skipping school, so he would let it slide, just this once. He laid back down next to him and wrapped his arms around him, closing his eyes. “Fine, then let’s cuddle at least. I wanna take a nap too.” 

Ni-Ki rested his arm against Jungwon’s. “Sounds nice.” 

Jungwon couldn’t imagine life without Ni-Ki, even though they’d only met two years ago. He remembered how much he had fought against his father’s idea to live in Japan while promoting his company, “Clover Cosmetics.” At the time, his thought process was that he’d already had friends in South Korea, and he’d wanted to stay at his current, familiar middle school. Not only that, but he’d barely known any Japanese. But of course, he didn’t really have a say in that decision, and they ended up going. But if it weren’t for his two years spent in Japan, he wouldn’t have met the most important person in his life. 

\-- 2 years ago --

_“How about this, Jungwon? There’s a dance studio not too far from where we’re staying. I’m even familiar with the owners. Why don’t I drive you there? It’ll help take your mind off of things, and I’ll pay for as many hours as you want.”_

_13-year-old Jungwon crossed his arms and planted himself on the leather couch of the rental house they were staying at. “No. I hate Japan. I want to go back home.”_

_“Jungwon, don’t be that way.” His father sat down on the couch next to him. “Living here is a wonderful opportunity. Expanding Clover Cosmetics to a wider audience is a top priority right now. I know you don’t like it here, but it’s important for our future. Okay?”_

_Jungwon didn’t understand. They had lots of money. His mom told him that they owned one of Seoul’s most expensive houses, and it had a built-in dance studio. His dad’s company was already majorly successful, so why would he want more?_

_“I know you were disappointed that our new home didn’t come with a dance studio. So let me take you to a studio nearby. Trust me, the owners will take care of you. I’ll make sure to call ahead so that they know we’re coming.”_

_Jungwon wanted to deny the offer. He wanted to retaliate against his father and demand that they go back to Korea, but he knew deep down that it was an unwinnable fight. And in reality, he desperately wanted to get to a studio and blow off some steam. He wanted to dance. “Fine,” he replied. “I’ll go.”_

_\-- 20 minutes later --_

_Once they arrived inside the dance studio, Jungwon gazed around, taking it in. It was a gigantic building with multiple practice rooms that either had “Occupied” or “Available” signs on them. Most were occupied, Jungwon noticed. His dad walked up to the front desk._

_“Hi, I’m here to rent a practice room for my son. How much would that be?” His father asked in fluent Japanese, already taking out his wallet._

_The lady was still looking down at her computer. “Ah, well, for an hour, it’d be-,” but she took one glance up and stopped mid-sentence. “Oh, Mr. Yang!” she gasped, finally noticing him. “I apologize; I didn’t see that it was you.”_

_His father chuckled, putting a hand up. “Please, don’t worry about it. So, how much?”_

_“Mrs. Nishimura already advised me that you’d be coming, and she insisted that your visit today would be free of charge. Unfortunately, we only have one practice room available, and Mrs. Nishimura’s son is there well. Is that alright?” She looked hesitant, grasping her hands together while waiting for a reply._

_Jungwon’s father looked down at him. “The Nishimura family and I are quite close. It would be nice for you to meet their son, don’t you think? Maybe you two can become friends.”_

_Jungwon didn’t really care at the moment. All he wanted to do was dance; he didn’t care about meeting some random boy. So he just nodded in agreement, wanting to speed up the process._

_His father looked pleased. “Alright, then.” He looked up at the front desk lady. “Please, would you lead him to the room? I’ll be coming to pick him up in an hour.”_

_The lady nodded quickly, typing something on her computer at the speed of light before standing up. “Certainly. Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Yang.”_

_After his father finally left, he was led to the dance studio. He actually felt excited for the first time since coming to Japan. All he wanted to do was groove to the music and let it take him away, help him become thoughtless and weightless. But his daydreams were interrupted when the lady from the front desk placed a hand on his shoulder._

_“You may not want to disturb the other boy who’ll be in there - ah, he goes by Ni-Ki, - it’s just, he can tend to get very focused, that’s all.”_

_Jungwon looked up at her and wrinkled his nose, not really interested in her lecture. “Okay, I’ll try.” A pleased smile made its way on her face, and she nodded in encouragement. She opened the door and let Jungwon step through before quickly closing it behind him._

_He saw a boy around the same age as him, with light brown hair and a sharp gaze piercing the mirrors around the room. Ni-Ki. The boy stopped after a few seconds of dancing, finally meeting Jungwon’s look in the mirror. He narrowed his eyes at him, attempting to muster up a cold glare, but to Jungwon, he was like a kitten trying to be a tiger. He stifled back a giggle at the boy’s attempted “tough” demeanor. He walked towards Ni-Ki, immediately curious about what this boy was like._

_“Ni-Ki, right? I’m Yang Jungwon.”_

\-- Present --

They seemed like polar opposites, but despite that, they had quickly become best friends. They shared the same hobbies, and Jungwon’s sweet and thoughtful manner was a perfect match up with Ni-Ki’s casual, laid back attitude. He brought out the best in Ni-Ki - or so he’d like to think.

Jungwon opened his eyes to check on Ni-Ki; his expression was serene, and he was breathing slowly and softly. He always did fall asleep quickly. Jungwon thought, suddenly letting his mind drift. While he was here skipping school and taking a nap, Jiheon was experiencing her first day at Scarlet Ace Academy with Sunoo, her best friend. I wonder what they’re up to right now. They’re probably eating lunch already…”

\---

Sunoo’s mouth gaped at Jiheon’s blunt request. He thought she was joking at first, but her tight-knit eyebrows and lip biting said otherwise. She was dead serious.

“Me? Ask Sunghoon to take a picture with you?” he confirmed the question, looking at her like she was crazy. “Are you serious right now?” 

She nodded vigorously, eyes shifting back and forth between Sunoo and Sunghoon. He looked over and saw that Sunghoon had taken a seat at an empty table on the other side of the room, sitting down with a few other people who were clearly his followers. Sunghoon never struck him as someone who’d have loyal friends, just groupies who admired him or wanted to be close to him. 

“I’ve never even talked to him! How am I supposed to just....” he trailed off, noticing that Jiheon’s hands were trembling. He knew how much she loved and admired Sunghoon and wasn’t surprised at her nervousness. In the end, he just had to ask, right? What’s the worst that could happen? He loved acting; he could get through this. Just do it for Jiheon, he told himself.

He sighed dramatically, trying to sound distraught. He wanted to play this up as much as possible, so Jiheon would be even more grateful in the end. “You know what, fine. But you’re paying me back for this.”

“Oh my god, thank you!” she squealed and grabbed his hands. “Thank you so much! Do it quickly before he gets up for food!”

Sunoo just smiled and shook his head, pulling his hands away. Truth be told, he was nervous too. Approaching the most famous person in school… and the most prominent figure skater in Korea,… didn’t seem like an easy task. But he’d still do it for Jiheon. He stood up.

“Get your phone out, and pay attention; I’ll wave you over if he says yes,” he instructed and walked away without waiting for a response. He made his way through the meal room, navigating the cafeteria and numerous tables in his way. As he got closer, he saw the faces of those surrounding Sunghoon. 

There were two boys he didn’t recognize and three girls, one of them being someone he recognized from the Musical Theatre Club. Lee Saerom. She was known for being a massive fan of Sunghoon and followed him around everywhere. He slowly approached, clasping his hands together behind his back. 

He stood right in front of the table, at the side where Sunghoon was. “Um, hi.” All eyes turned to look at him. Lee Saerom looked at him as if she didn’t know who he was. The rest just seemed annoyed; some of them were already standing up to go get lunch. Sunghoon’s eyes seemed cold; they were dark and had the gaze of someone powerful. He wasn’t sure whether it was intentional, or just him overinterpreting it. 

“Yes?” Saerom was the first to speak, leaning on the back of her manicured hands. “What do you want?”

He raised an annoyed eyebrow at her and ignored her question, directing his gaze to Sunghoon instead. 

“Hi, Sunghoon. Um… I’m, uh, my friend actually wondered if she could get a picture with you. She’s sitting over there,” Sunoo pointed across the room, and Sunghoon’s eyes followed. “The girl with the blue hair. Her name is Jiheon. She’s a big fan, and-”

“Why can’t she ask herself?” Sunghoon’s reply was plain-spoken. His voice was casual; he didn’t seem annoyed, just… curious, almost. 

“Honestly, that’s a good point,” Sunoo laughed nervously, shifting back and forth. “Actually, it’s her first day at Scarlet Ace, and she’s just a bit… shy? Yeah. So.” He didn’t really know how to continue speaking. 

Sunghoon raised an eyebrow. “Kim Sunoo, right?” 

Sunoo’s neck instinctively moved forward, and his eyes widened in shock. “Um, me? He pointed at himself. “Yeah, um, you know me?” 

He nodded. “Mm, Yeonjun talks about you.”

Now Sunoo was doubly surprised. “You know Yeonjun too?” Yeonjun was the president and director of the Musical Theatre club, and he had personally selected Sunoo to become vice president. “How do you know Yeonjun?”

“His parents started composing musical pieces for my performances this summer. Our families get together sometimes.” Sunghoon didn’t mention that they were figure skating performances; he already knew Sunoo knew what he was talking about. 

The other people at the table looked equally shocked, clearly surprised that this conversation was even taking place. Saerom’s expression was dark, and she was leaning back in her chair, arms crossed.

“I see…” Sunoo didn’t really know where to go from here. He was already a bit giddy from the fact that Sunghoon, Park Sunghoon, knew of his existence. But he had to keep his composure. “So, about the photo-”

“Just give me your phone.” Sunghoon cut him off. 

Sunoo tilted his head, unsure of why Sunghoon wanted his phone. But as he looked around at the faces of those at the table, they were staring at him with expressions that seemed to ask, _‘why aren’t you doing what he says?’_

Feeling slightly pressured, he took his phone out of his pocket and handed it over. Sunoo watched as Sunghoon opened the camera app. Oh, maybe he was actually going to take the photo with Jiheon-

His thought process was stopped mid-way when Sunghoon suddenly reached an arm around him, pulling him down, so they were at the same face level. He wasn’t sure what was happening until it was actually happening; Sunghoon gripped his fingers around Sunoo’s shoulder, and his face immediately heated up. His hand was unexpectedly warm. 

Then Sunghoon put the camera in selfie mode, faced it towards them, put on the signature beaming smile that Sunoo had seen on TV… and then snapped a photo of the two. 

Once the photo was taken, Sunghoon’s gaze quickly reverted back to its regular, monotone-like expression. He handed the phone to Sunoo, and Sunoo shakily took it from him. 

“Since you asked so nicely, that one’s for you. If your friend wants a picture with me, tell her to ask me herself,” Sunghoon said simply and got up from the table, heading over towards the buffet.

Sunoo took a second to compose himself, still confused and bewildered at what had just taken place. He turned his head slowly to those still sitting at the table. Some avoided his gaze; some just stared at him like he was unworthy to even be in Sunghoon’s presence. He then turned his head to look at Jiheon across the room, who had her mouth wide open.

He cleared his throat and started shifting away from the table. Once he made enough distance between himself and Sunghoon’s table, he awkwardly shuffled back to Jiheon, making sure to avoid the buffet area. Once he arrived, he took a seat across from Jiheon and turned his head left and right to make sure nobody was staring. 

He didn’t even have time to speak. “Um, what did I just see?” Jiheon sputtered out. “Park Sunghoon, the PARK SUNGHOON - just took a photo with you? And put his arm around you? And-” 

“Jiheon! Shh! You’re literally yelling,” Sunoo turned back to her and put his hands in his face. “I don’t know what just happened either.” 

“Kim Sunoo…” she moved closer. “Did you really take that opportunity to ask for a selfie yourself? I knew you were a closeted fan!” she narrowed her eyes at him, like a detective questioning her suspect.

“Ugh, no!” he lifted his head. “Listen. He somehow knows who I am. He knows Yeonjun, the president of the Musical Theatre Club, and they’ve talked about me. Apparently. I don’t even know!” he said exasperated. “He just randomly took a picture with me. And he said if you wanted a picture, you should-”

“Hey, Sunoo!” 

A familiar voice interrupted his rambling, and he looked up. A few feet away from their table stood Jake, his childhood best friend, and neighbor, with a plate of food.

Jake had gone to a different middle school than Sunoo. Still, thanks to his outstanding test scores and prodigal STEM abilities, he was admitted into Scarlet Ace Academy with a full-paid scholarship. And for the past two years, he and Sunoo had walked to school together. This morning, however, Sunoo wanted to devote his attention to catching up with Jiheon.

“Oh, hi Jake!” he collected himself and sat up straight, trying not to look like he was having an existential crisis. “Come on over.” he motioned for him to come and sit with them, and Jake gave him a warm smile. 

“Don’t mind if I do.” He came over and took a seat next to Sunoo. He then looked between Sunoo and Jiheon, eyes shifting awkwardly. Jiheon raised an expectant eyebrow at Sunoo.

“Ah, yes,” Sunoo started, realizing that he had to put the events that just took place behind him and introduce these two. “Jake, this is Jiheon, my friend since middle school. Jiheon, this is Jake, my neighbor, and friend since I was little. I know I’ve told you about each other, but I don’t think you’ve met.” 

Jake gave a polite nod to Jiheon. “Nice to meet you, Jiheon. I’ve heard a lot about you, actually.”

She smiled at him. “Hopefully only good things... but knowing Sunoo, that’s unlikely. Just ignore what you’ve heard.”

“I think I’ll keep that a secret,” Jake chuckled a bit and Sunoo ‘tsk’d’ and smacked him on the arm in retaliation. 

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Jiheon giggled. “I’m not surprised. But just for the record, I’ve heard only good things about you. Guess that means you’re a good person?” 

“Well, I try,” Jake said, giving her a teasing smile. 

Sunoo just shook his head.

“Anyways,” Jiheon started, leaning forward and placing her hands on the table. “I’ve gotta tell you what just happened to Sunoo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, stay hydrated everyone <3


	4. Chapter 4

Jay caught his breath and stayed limp on the floor after his father left the room, his legs sprawled out like an injured critter. He felt a wave of nausea overwhelm him but couldn’t even find the energy to purge his body of invisible toxins.

“Heeseung…” he whispered. “I need to get to Heeseung…” 

With the last of his strength, he forced himself to stand up, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his head and the soreness of his jaw. 

He grabbed his phone and left his room, trying his best to make his way through the hallway quietly. He reached the stairs and descended the staircase, gripping onto the railing for dear life. Once he reached the bottom, he tiptoed through the living room and saw that his father had already passed out on the couch.

He sighed in relief. He clutched his phone to his chest and slowly made his way to the front door. He unlocked it, not caring that he’d be leaving it open after he left. He swung it open and was greeted by a chilly breeze that bit his skin, contrasting with the burning pain. It was almost relieving.

He somehow made it down to the road and stumbled over himself, trying to navigate the winding streets. He had one goal and one goal only: get as far away from his father and find solace at Heeseung’s place. It was his only choice. 

Through his pain, he still managed to locate Heeseung’s apartment building. It wasn’t his first time there, after all. They were best friends in High School until Jay was forced to drop out. Maybe Heeseung was his only friend. Jay couldn’t really think properly. Even though it was just a year ago, everything that happened in High School felt like a blur. All his past good memories seemed like gentle waves in comparison to the riptide of his present situation.

He took the elevator to the 5th floor, where Heeseung’s apartment was. He checked his watch. 3:01 A.M. He felt terrible knowing he’d probably be waking him up, but he had nowhere else to go.

He reached Apartment 506 and knocked at the door gently. 

While he waited, he tried to distract himself from any guilt he felt. His conscience reminded him that this was unfair to Heeseung. But the unrelenting pain in his jaw and back reminded him once again that he needed to be selfish. He needed to protect himself, first and foremost.

There was a bit of shuffling from inside the apartment. The walls were thin, and Jay could hear Heeseung moving around and even bumping into something.

“Who is it?” he heard his voice; it was loud and stern, probably trying to be intimidating in case he was an intruder.

“It’s Jay,” he replied weakly, clasping his hands behind his back, feeling like he actually was an intruder.

The lock clicked immediately, and the door opened. A disheveled Heeseung with messy hair and pajamas appeared at the door. Jay stood there, looking down, not sure how to start the conversation. But he didn’t need to.

“Jay…” Heeseung whispered, gazing at him with pity in his eyes. He gently took hold of his arm. “Come in, okay?”

Jay just nodded, emotions overwhelming him from the rare feeling of gentle touch. He let himself be guided through the apartment by Heeseung. He had a tiny living room with a small couch facing a near-broken television. “Sit here; I’ll bring some ice.” He instructed. Jay did as he was told and rested his hands in his lap while Heeseung left the room.

When he returned, he was carrying two pills, half a glass of water, and a Ziploc bag of ice with a thin paper towel wrapped around it. He handed them both to Jay. “It’s Tylenol; it should ease the pain. And put the ice on your jaw, so the swelling goes down.” 

“Thank you,” Jay whispered and downed the pills with one sip. He then placed the ice on his jaw just like Heeseung advised, wincing at the cold. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Heeseung just staring at him with knitted eyebrows, like he wasn’t sure what to say next. 

Jay decided to speak first. “I’m sorry for waking you up so late. I know… I know it’s not fair to you.”

Heeseung sat up straight and leaned back on the couch. “It’s fine, but just… listen, Jay, this keeps happening.”

“I know,” Jay looked down.

“And you still won’t tell me what’s going on. You won’t let me help you. You drop out of High School in the middle of our senior year, I couldn’t contact you for months, and then out of nowhere, you just sporadically come over at ungodly hours with cuts and bruises all over you. And how long has this been happening now? Almost a year? Do you know how worried I am, all the time?” His voice got louder as he spoke, and he sighed deeply after finishing. “I just want you to talk to me.”

Jay shook his head rapidly and inhaled, his voice shaking. “I know. I want to talk to you too. But I can’t tell you. If I do, then he’ll-” he stopped, clutching the ice with one hand and clenching his fist in the other. “I just can’t.”

“Please, just come live with me. I know it’s your father. He’s threatening you or something, right? You won’t have to deal with him anymore. You won’t have to worry about anything. You can even work with me at the pizza shop-”

“It’s not that easy!” Jay yelled, trying to stop the quivering of his body. He took the ice pack off his jaw and gripped his arm. “It’s not that easy. I just… I care about you too much. I can’t risk it. I can’t risk anything.” he breathed heavily. In and out, he told himself. Just breathe.

“Okay. Okay.” Heeseung rested his hand on Jay’s arm. “I’ll let it go for now.”

“Please don’t tell anyone,” Jay squeezed his eyes shut. “I promise I’ll work things out. I just need a bit of time.”

Truth be told, Jay didn’t have a plan. He didn’t know what he needed to do to get out of the situation he was desperately entangled in. 

“I won’t tell anyone.” Heeseung re-assured. “I’m going against my better judgment, but… I won’t break your trust. And I don’t want anything bad to happen to you either.”

“Yeah,” Jay said, trying to muster up a smile. “Thanks.”

“Just don’t let things go too far. You need to know when to ask for help. I don’t really know the situation, but…” Heeseung paused. “There are people out there who can help you.”

Jay just let his head fall back on the couch. He murmured a small “Mhm” and left it at that. Heeseung didn’t know that both his life and Jay’s life could be in danger if anything got out. There was just nothing he could do.

After they’d talked for a few minutes, Heeseung offered to take the couch so Jay could sleep in his bed. Jay initially refused, but Heeseung insisted. So he went along with it, grateful that Heeseung always looked out for him. He was the only one Jay could rely on. 

Jay laid against the soft, clean pillowcase. When he closed his eyes, he felt entirely at peace, not a single thing on his mind. The feeling of the warm bed encompassed him. He fell asleep within minutes.

**\-- The next day --**

When his eyes cracked open, a thin ray of light peered through the bedside window. Jay checked his watch. 6:36 A.M. He laid there for a moment, debating whether to go back to sleep and risk his father noticing his absence or try to get back to his house before he woke up. Perhaps he’d already woken up. If he had, he knew that Jay was here. He knows this is the only place he can go to. 

But even in the past, he’d never bother looking for him. Not because he didn’t care, but because he knew that Jay wouldn’t say anything. He knew that Jay had far too much at stake. All the monster would do was continue to threaten him, each and every time, reminding him of the consequences. 

Jay flipped the blankets over and stepped out of bed onto the carpeted floor. He felt crumbs underneath his toes. Likely a leftover pizza that Heeseung brought home.

He left the bedroom, stretching his arms a bit as he walked. The pain in his jaw was already feeling better, albeit still a tad sore. Slowly, he crept into the living room; Heeseung was still fast asleep on the couch. He went into the kitchen and found the familiar notepad next to the kitchen counter.

_Thanks for letting me stay over. I left a bit early. Don’t worry about me._

He scribbled the note and found a magnet on the fridge, attaching it to the front so he’d see it first thing when he woke up. 

He gave one last glance to Heeseung. His eyelids fluttered gently; he was probably having a good dream. He looked so peaceful. Jay knew he’d probably be even more peaceful if it wasn’t for him. 

He bit his lip and opened the door to leave.

\---

Heeseung woke up with an uncomfortable stretch in his neck. He must’ve slept the wrong way. It wasn’t surprising; the couch didn’t provide much support, and it wasn’t really meant to be slept on.

He got up and wandered into the kitchen, looking for a glass of water to soothe the dryness of his throat. Right when he was about to open the fridge, he noticed a sticky pad on the front; he sighed, knowing Jay had probably left early again. He never even had a chance to offer him breakfast.

He ripped off the note and read it. 

_Thanks for letting me stay over. I left a bit early. Don’t worry about me._

How could he not be worried?

He knew something was going on - something terrible. Jay had started to smell like drugs. Jay should know how illegal it is to smoke weed, especially in Korea. He should know better. So Heeseung wasn’t sure what it meant. Was he using it as an escape measure? Something to make him feel better in his current situation? Or was something else going on? 

He shook his head. It was pointless to think about it. He’d promised Jay that he wouldn’t get involved, and he would keep his word, even if it went against his better judgment. As long as Jay had a plan. He would have to trust him for now. 

“Time to get ready,” he said out loud, sighing. He was manager of a local pizza place, _“Pizza Melody.”_ He had a long shift today, but it paid the rent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! Here's hoping 2021 will be a year of recovery.
> 
> P.S. - This chapter may seem shorter than others, but Jay centered chapters will typically be like that.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Jiheon spent the rest of lunch explaining the details of Sunoo’s exchange with Sunghoon, at least the things she saw from across the room. She barely took a breath in between sentences, and Jake listened attentively, nodding now and then in reply, his lips turned up in a polite smile.

“...and then Sunghoon took a picture with him.” she finished up and sat up straight, proud of herself for such an accurate re-telling.

“I don’t know how you managed to make a 2-minute interaction into a 10-minute explanation,” Sunoo leaned on his hand. “We haven’t even eaten yet.”

“It’s just as she said, Sunoo,” Jake started. “I think you’re a closeted Sunghoon fan.”

“Oh my god, both of you?” Sunoo just put his face in his hands. 

“See, at least Jake gets it.” She giggled. “But you’re right. Let’s get lunch before the bell rings - we’ve got 15 minutes.” She slid out of her chair and waited for Sunoo. 

They both got lunch and then spent the rest of their lunch period chatting with Jake. She got to learn all about how he’d met Sunoo when they were kids and how he was here at Scarlet Ace on scholarship. She didn’t even know how they got along so well; they seemed like opposites. Jake seemed mature and composed, which was a stark contrast to Sunoo’s energetic and overly excitable nature. 

“Sunoo, did you walk to school today?” Jake looked over at Sunoo. “I didn’t see you this morning.”

“Yeah, I had to rush over to Jiheon’s house since it was her first day and all,” He chewed on rice as he spoke. “And today, I can’t walk home with you. Musical Theatre club has signups, and this one,” he gestured to Jiheon with his chopsticks. “is signing up.”

“Mhm, Musical Theatre club?” he looked at Jiheon. “I think that would suit you.”

Jiheon tried to hide her smile, but she couldn’t help it. “You think so? Sunoo convinced me. I like singing, Sunoo told me I’m pretty good at it too, and I used to perform in some plays during middle school, so-”

“Shh, he gets it,” Sunoo shushed her. “My gosh, you’re starting to sound like me.”

Jake chuckled. “It’s fine,” he said and directed his glance to Jiheon. “You’ll have a lot of guidance, especially with Sunoo being vice president.” 

“That’s what I’m thinking. Otherwise, I don’t think I’d have the confidence to sign up.” She sighed and gazed into nothingness. “And who knows, maybe I’ll be so good that Sunghoon will fall in love with me.”

“Why would he ever come to our performances,” Sunoo retorted, shaking his head at her. “Stop daydreaming.” 

“I know…” her shoulders dropped as he brought her back to reality. “There’s nothing wrong with wishful thinking, though....” 

**\--- Later ---**

After lunch, they went through the rest of their classes and finished off the day in English. Jiheon still couldn’t stop thinking about seeing Sunghoon in the flesh. She couldn’t believe she was even breathing the same air as him. 

While she was grinning like an idiot as the class pooled out of the classroom, she felt someone poke her back. She looked up and saw Sunoo, standing there with his hands on his hips.

“Are we going to Musical Theatre club, or are you gonna keep thinking about Park Sunghoon?” He asked, the judgment apparent on his face.

“I’m not-” She sighed and grabbed her bag, standing up. “Don’t get sassy with me.”

“Hmmph.” He just smirked and started walking towards the exit. She skipped over, following close behind him.

**\--- 5 minutes later ---**

After leaving the main building and walking to the auditorium, they made it to the club room, located in a separate building. They arrived in front of a big, black door that was presumably the entrance. Sunoo opened it and walked inside, holding it behind him for her.

When they entered the auditorium, Jiheon instinctively scanned the room. She noticed a few people sitting in chairs upfront. A student with long-ish pink hair in a ponytail saw Sunoo and got up to start walking over to him.

“Yeonjun!” Sunoo yelled, seeming to notice him as well. 

“Sunoo, good to see you again.” The student smiled at him. Sunoo grinned back at him with the brightest expression she’s ever seen. He basically skipped up to the boy with pink hair, almost like he would give him a hug, but stopped himself at the last minute. “How was your summer?”

“Busy, but I can’t complain.” His smile was composed. “And yours?”

“It was amazing. I finally got to spend it with Jiheon here - she’s the one who lived in Japan for two years - and I also convinced her to sign up for Musical Theatre club. She’s really good, I promise.”

“Ahh, the Jiheon I’ve heard so much about,” he said, nodding to her politely. “Well, it’s great to have you here. As for the signup form, I have it right-” 

“Yeonjun.” A low voice interrupted him, and he turned his head to follow the voice. Jiheon and Sunoo looked over as well, and Jiheon tilted her head. Was she seeing things, or was that-

Jiheon gasped at the realization and grabbed onto Sunoo’s shoulder. “Holy shit, it’s Park Sunghoon!” 

Sunoo looked at her and then looked at the door. His eyes widened at the sight of him too, and he stepped back. She stepped back with him, feeling like she was dreaming. Scarlet Ace was a gigantic academy with thousands of students, yet she saw Sunghoon now two times today.

He walked up, one hand clasping his bag and the other at his side. Jiheon couldn’t help but swoon, once again, at his good looks. His dark hair was parted perfectly, and his clean bangs framed his forehead. 

Sunghoon stepped up to Yeongjun. 

“Hey, Sunghoon. Whatcha doing here?” Yeongjun spoke casually, almost as if the two were good friends. Were they good friends?

“You left your wallet at my house yesterday.” He took a sleek, leather black wallet out of his bag and handed it off to Yeonjun.

“Hey thanks, I was wondering if I’d left it. I was gonna call you, but I didn’t find the time.”

“No worries. Just be careful next time.” Sunghoon replied and then gazed at her and Sunoo out of the corner of his eye. Jiheon’s breath caught in her throat as they made eye contact for a brief second. She noticed his eyes linger on Sunoo for just a moment longer, and she could see the tips of Sunoo’s ears starting to become red.

He then proceeded to walk away, leaving the auditorium just as coolly as he had come in.

Yeonjun watched him leave the auditorium, and there was silence for a couple of seconds. After ensuring he was gone, Yeonjun cleared his throat. “As I was saying,” he continued and pulled out a form from his bag. “Here’s the signup sheet. It’ll be great to have you here.”

Jiheon had so many questions but didn’t know where to begin. She just took the signup sheet from him and wrote down her name, looking up at Yeonjun and back down at the signup sheet at least 10 times. She really wanted to ask how they knew each other. Alright, just ask. It wasn’t that hard.

“Hey, Yeo-”

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Yeonjun spoke right over her timid voice. “For all the current and new members of the club, I have a little presentation. I’ll just be going over the club’s schedule, requirements, stuff like that. We might go over time a bit. Is that alright with you?”

Sunoo looked at her expectantly. 

“Uh…” she could barely concentrate, and she knitted her eyebrows, trying to remember what Yeonjun had just said.

“Yes, she can,” Sunoo spoke for her, slinging an arm around her shoulder. “Right?” he raised his eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

“Yeah, of course. Sorry, I’m just… distracted?” Jiheon tried to come up with an excuse, but failed miserably, and just shrugged her shoulders.

Yeonjun smirked a bit, the corners of his lips turning up. It seemed like he knew why. “That’s alright, just don’t get distracted during the presentation.”

**\--30 minutes later--**

The presentation had been going on for at least 30 minutes now, and Jiheon was starting to feel woozy. The room was dim, and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. She stifled a yawn and clenched her fists, trying her best not to fall asleep. What time even was it…? Felt like night time already, even though she knew it wasn’t.

Jiheon took a quick glance down at her watch and jumped a bit in surprise. “God, I’m late for my job!” She whisper-yelled to herself. Sunoo was about to shush her but then took a second to realize what she’d said. 

“That part-time job at Pizza Melody you started this summer?” he questioned, leaning over so she could hear better.

“Yeah,… my dad’s making me. He wants me to know what it’s like to be a ‘normal person’ before he can trust me working for Clover Cosmetics.” She huffed and snatched her bag up. “I hate it.”

“Well, that’s probably for the best. Welcome to reality.” Sunoo clicked his tongue, clearly trying his best to irritate Jiheon.

“Shut up,” she glared at him. ‘I’m going, tell Yeonjun sorry from me.” she stepped over Sunoo’s legs and started to rush through the auditorium.

“Save me a piece of pizza!” he called after her.

**\--15 minutes later--**

Jiheon waved her hand frantically and rushed towards the pizza shop, nearly colliding with the door but managing to open it on time. “Mr. Lee!” she bent down and placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath. “Sorry… I’m… late!” Her boss, Lee Heeseung, was standing behind the desk and working on a pizza, decked out in their red uniform and black cap.

“Jiheon, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Heeseung? I’m only two years older than you, way too young for ‘Mr. Lee.’” He gave her a small smile and then turned back to kneading pizza dough. “Oh, and put on your uniform. Your shift’s already started; I shouldn’t have to make this pizza for you.”

Jiheon looked down at herself, realizing she was still wearing her school uniform. “God, I’m sorry! I joined the Musical Theatre club, and they kept us over time, and…”

“Don’t worry about it, just get changed.” He said, both strict and reassuring at the same time.

“Got it, Heeseung!”

\---

Ni-Ki looked down at Jungwon. He was curled up beside him, his chest moving up and down with every slow breath, his mouth slightly parted. Fast asleep. He looked so peaceful - half of Ni-Ki wanted to squeeze his cheeks to see his reaction, and the other half wanted to let him enjoy dreamland.

All he knew was that he was mesmerized. 

His bright smile with endless, black hole dimples - moonlit eyes that glittered when he gazed into them - the warmth of his body when they cuddled up together - he loved it all. 

It wasn’t an obsession; he just finally learned what it felt like to cherish someone. It was a feeling he’d only discovered in the last two years. Before he met Jungwon, he was just a boy with a passion for dancing. He didn’t care about friends or schoolwork, and he paid no mind to thoughts of a future career. All he could focus on was dancing. The only thing that got him up in the morning was the thought of practicing a new routine.

When Jungwon came around, Ni-Ki was just confused. He didn’t know what to think. He’d walked into the dance studio and confidentially called out to him. Ni-Ki kept his guard up, unsure of his intentions; usually, people only tried to get close to him for the benefits. His parents had money, prestige - they owned multiple famous dance studios worldwide, and people were attracted to that. So he tried to put on a stern expression and stood with his shoulders raised, but it didn’t seem to intimidate the boy at all. Jungwon just giggled and started making normal conversation in his broken Japanese. 

Jungwon explained that he was forced to move to Japan because his father wanted to promote his makeup brand. He didn’t want to live here. He felt like a loner and an outcast.

Ni-Ki could understand those feelings. Maybe it was because of his bad experiences, but he felt like an outcast too. 

As they spoke, Ni-Ki immediately started using Korean around Jungwon, as he’d learned to speak it as a child. His grandma lived in Seoul, and was the one that taught him. 

Jungwon was ecstatic to have a friend who spoke his language. Over time, Ni-Ki also helped him improve his Japanese. They relied on each other after that. Their personalities seemed to clash, but their mindsets, hobbies, and interests were the same. They both loved dancing and could relate to one another. It seemed Jungwon was comforted by Ni-Ki’s presence just as much as he was comforted by Jungwon. 

Time passed, and Ni-Ki began to see Jungwon in a new light. Feelings of longing started to appear. He always thought he was straight; he thought girls were pretty but didn’t give it much thought. He never cared about dating, or crushes, or anything of that nature. But things changed when Jungwon entered his life. 

He started daydreaming of all the things he’d do with Jungwon if they were a couple. He imagined walking with Jungwon in the school hallways, arms linked together, he imagined going to the amusement park and squeezing his hand to comfort him on a rollercoaster, he imagined cuddling him during a movie and kissing him after the credits. 

He’d become so attached to Jungwon that he was willing to throw his life away in Japan to stay with him. It wasn’t like he was leaving behind much. His happiest moments were spent with Jungwon there - and he wasn’t going to be satisfied with just calling him every now and then. If Jungwon was going back to Korea for High School, he’d be going with him. 

He convinced his parents to let him live with his grandma in Seoul to be near Jungwon. His grandma was more than happy to take him in. He told them it would be like a “Study abroad” experience, and they agreed to pay his tuition for Scarlet Ace Academy, the private academy that Jungwon was planning to attend. It wasn’t much of a difference in price to the academy he attended in Japan.

He looked down at Jungwon and pushed the hair back that had fallen in his face. He then lightly poked his face to see if he’d wake up. He stirred just a bit, moving his face away and wrinkling his eyebrows. Ni-Ki giggled and leaned closer, grabbing his cheeks and squeezing them. “Jungwon, it’s time to wake up.”

“Hm?” Jungwon murmured in response, shaking his head out of Ni-Ki’s grip. “What time is it?”

“Late afternoon. We should go get something to eat.” Ni-Ki replied, hopping out of bed and holding onto the wooden canopy.

At the mention of food, Jungwon slid up out of the blankets and rested his back on the bed’s headboard. “Ooh, you know what, I think Jiheon’s working today.” 

“Your sister?” Ni-Ki asked. 

“Yeah, she’s been working at Pizza Melody during the summer. Wanna go?” Jungwon said, rubbing his tired eyes.

“Sure, let’s go.” Ni-Ki smiled and reached out a hand.

**\--30 minutes later--**

Ni-Ki ran ahead to open the door of Pizza Melody for Jungwon. “Ladies first,” Ni-Ki snickered at Jungwon, and he elbowed him in retaliation. 

“Shush,” Jungwon rolled his eyes as he walked inside, but he couldn’t hide a tiny smile.

Upon entering, Ni-Ki noticed that Sunoo, Jiheon’s best friend, was chatting with someone over glasses of water. He looked over at Jungwon and raised an eyebrow; Jungwon shrugged back at him and started approaching the two. 

Sunoo seemed engaged in a conversation with the person sitting at the table, and he was showing him something on his phone. Ni-Ki followed closely behind Jungwon.

“Sunoo!” Jungwon leaned over the table. “Watcha doing here?”

Sunoo looked up from his phone. “Jungwon! And Ni-Ki, too.” he patted the seat next to him. “I’m here for pizza, duh. Musical Theatre club went overtime and I’m starving. What are you two here for?” 

Jungwon sat down next to Sunoo, and Ni-Ki took the vacant seat next to Sunoo’s friend, trying to keep a bit of distance. 

“We’re here to annoy Jiheon, but pizza sounds good too.” Jungwon’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. 

“Of course, we can’t miss out on annoying Jiheon.” Sunoo fake whispered to him.

Jungwon laughed and his dimples appeared. “Anyways, are you going to introduce me to your friend?” he gestured to the boy with brown hair sitting next to Ni-Ki. Ni-Ki’s eyes followed his hand.

“Ah, I’m Jake,” the boy said, nodding politely. Ni-Ki noticed that the boy was sitting up straight, almost a perfect posture. “It’s nice to meet you,” Jake said. 

“Jake’s been my friend and neighbor since I was little - Jungwon, you never got the chance to meet him because you were in Japan for middle school,” Sunoo said, taking a sip of his water. “But I’m glad I invited him for pizza - this way everyone can get to know each other. He actually just met Jiheon today.”

“Well, now he’s met the Yang family, minus my parents,” Jungwon replied cheerfully, leaning forward. Ni-Ki stayed quiet, hands in his lap, just observing.

“Jake, this is Jungwon - he’s Jiheon’s little brother,” he started. “And this is Ni-Ki, a friend that Jungwon met in Japan. He decided to study abroad in Seoul, so here he is.” Sunoo pointed to each of them individually. 

“Nice to meet you,” Jungwon said with a warm smile, nodding at him. “So, you go to Scarlet Ace with Sunoo and Jiheon then?”

“I do,” Jake replied, scooting his chair further in. “And you?”

Jungwon slung an arm around Ni-Ki. “Yeah, me and Ni-Ki go to Scarlet Ace now too, but we skipped today because he wanted to nap.”

Ni-Ki snickered at that and reached up to hold his arm. “We were up late playing video games.” He finally spoke up.

“Missing the first day of school?” Jake raised his eyebrows. “Aren’t you first years?”

“Yeah,” Ni-Ki said. “Jungwon probably would’ve gone if it weren’t for me. Not his fault.”

“Well, all I can say is,” Jake started. “You missed what happened to Sunoo.” he reached out and took Sunoo’s phone. 

“Wait… it’s embarrassing,” Sunoo said, reaching for his phone. “Don’t show them!”

“Cmon’, I wanna see!” Jungwon protested. Ni-Ki saw Jungwon’s excited expression and decided to play along.

“Yeah, let’s see it.” Ni-Ki added.

“He still hasn’t changed his password,” Jake snickered and pulled up the picture. It was Sunoo with… was that Park Sunghoon? Ni-Ki narrowed his eyes to try and focus on the image. It seemed to be. Wasn’t he that famous skater that went to Scarlet Ace?

Jungwon’s hand flew to his mouth. “No way! That’s the figure skater that Jiheon loves! With Sunoo!”

“Long story…” Sunoo said, and Ni-Ki saw a tint of red appear on his face. 

Suddenly, Ni-Ki saw Jiheon out of the corner of his eye, stomping over to them with a clipboard and a paper. She stopped in front of them, looking down at the picture.

“I see you’re showing off the picture that Sunoo took with Sunghoon,” She clicked her tongue. “He totally sabotaged me and wanted a selfie for himself.”

“I told you it wasn’t like that!” Sunoo snatched the phone from Jake. “and we don’t talk about it,” he said, hiding the phone in his jacket. 

“Whatever you say, closeted Sunghoon stan.” She snickered.

“Hey, Jiheon,” Jungwon said with a sappy tone in his voice, smiling up at her. “We’re paying customers. Aren’t you going to greet us properly?”

“Oh my god…” Jiheon huffed, tightening up her shoulders. “Welcome to Pizza Melody! What can I get for you today?” she mimicked Jungwon’s tone. 

“A medium cheese pizza. Wait, make that pepperoni. Actually, maybe I’ll try Hawaiian today. No, actually I’ll-” Jungwon was cut off with a sharp retort from Jiheon.

“Make up your mind before I kick you out!” she fumed, tapping her nails on the clipboard she was holding.

“Let’s just get a cheese pizza,” Ni-Ki looked at Jungwon with a slight smile, knowing that he was just trying to annoy her. Jungwon giggled and nodded as well. 

“Alright, alright, I’ll bring it out if I feel like you deserve it.” Jiheon walked back to the kitchen, sticking her tongue out at Jungwon as she did. 

**\--10 minutes later--**

Jiheon brought out the pizza and got back to work, while everyone stared around the table at the food Ni-Ki ordered.

“Mm, it looks so good,” Jungwon stared at the pizza with an adoring gaze, eyes glittering as if he was in love. Ni-Ki tried to hold back a laugh at his enthusiasm. He cut off a piece of the pizza and held it over the counter to Jungwon.

“Say ahh,” he said with a baby voice. Jungwon pouted at his teasing manner but leaned forward and opened his mouth to chomp on the pizza.

“Watch the fingers!” Ni-Ki pulled away, acting as if he’d been severely wounded. “You could’ve taken my hand off.”

Jungwon grinned cheekily. “It’s your fault; you were practically inviting me to take it off.”

“Wowww,” Sunoo said and let out a whistle. “You two are close. I could never do that kind of stuff with Jiheon or Jake.” 

Ni-Ki flushed red and started munching on his own pizza, not knowing how to respond.  
Jungwon giggled. “I guess we’re just closer than you two,” 

**\--30 minutes later--**

Ni-Ki and Jungwon left after eating, offering to walk home with Jake and Sunoo. But the two wanted to stay and wait for Jiheon’s shift to end.

Ni-Ki didn’t eat that much, so he wasn’t that full. Jungwon, on the other hand, was groaning and holding his stomach as he walked.

“Ni-Ki… I overate…” Jungwon complained. 

“And who’s fault is that?” Ni-Ki replied, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Come on, carry me or something,” Jungwon reached his arms out, clearly teasing, but Ni-Ki wasn’t going to let *that* opportunity pass.

He scooped up Jungwon up before either one of them could process it. His arms clutched around Jungwon's back and legs, bridal style. Jungwon instinctively grabbed his shoulders for support, and looked up at him with raised eyebrows.“Wow, I can’t believe you took that seriously,” he whistled. “You really thought I couldn’t stand by myself?”

“Fine, be that way,” Ni-Ki slowly lowered him back down on the ground. “You can walk by yourself then.”

“I’d hope so!” Jungwon suddenly sprouted up, full of energy, and continued at a brisk pace. “Anyways, listen. You’ll go to school tomorrow, right? Right?”

“Yeah,” Ni-Ki nodded. “Probably.” 

He’d do it for Jungwon, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments, they really motivate me. I appreciate ya'll.
> 
> Hope you're having a great weekend, or week, whenever you're reading this :)


	6. Chapter 6

“I’m finally done!” Jiheon said to herself, took off her apron as quickly as she could, and shoved it in her travel bag. “That shift felt way too long...” she muttered and made her way to the front of the kitchen.

Just as she was done celebrating, Heeseung walked into the kitchen. “Don’t look that excited to leave,” he smiled at her and slipped the pizza he was holding into the oven. 

“Oh, Heeseung,” she scratched the back of her head and bowed a bit. “It’s not that I’m excited to leave YOU; it’s just that I’ve already got so much work to do and-“

“I’m teasing. Get outta here; your friends are waiting for you.” He motioned over at Sunoo and Jake, sitting at a table near the entrance, still sipping glasses of water.

“Thanks, Heeseung; I’ll see you soon.” She waved to him and walked over to Jake and Sunoo.

“Finally done?” Sunoo said, sounding impatient. 

“Yes, and you really didn’t have to wait for me.” She responded, grabbing her school bag and heading towards the exit with Jake and Sunoo following behind her.

“It was no trouble,” Jake smiled. “The pizza was really good.”

**\-- 5 minutes later --**

“Well,… thanks for walking me home,” Jiheon swung her hands back and forth as she walked, enjoying the breeze brushing her face. 

Sunoo smiled and looked up from his phone. “No problem! It was actually Jake who suggested-”

“Aha, don’t worry about that,” Jake raised a hand and cut him off. “Anyway, Jiheon - how are you enjoying Scarlet Ace?” He quickly changed the subject.

“It’s pretty amazing. I mean, Park Sunghoon goes there, so it goes without saying.” she replied, without missing a beat.

“He meant how your classes are, idiot.” Sunoo shook his head and put a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Do you see what I have to deal with?” he said to him, sighing.

Jiheon clicked her tongue and decided to ignore his snide comment. “Classes are… precisely what I expected. Boring, but not bad. Except for math. I don’t know how anyone can look at a jumble of numbers and random letters and understand what it means.”

“Jake is great at math,” Sunoo spoke up.

“Seriously?” Jiheon looked over at him. “I’m jealous.”

“It’s actually my strong suit.” Jake smiled awkwardly. “If you need help… you know, I could tutor you or something.” 

Jiheon paid attention when she heard that. Her parents had already threatened to get her a tutor if her math grades didn’t stay consistent, and she’d much rather get help from a friend of Sunoo’s.  
But… she had to stay humble, at the very least.

“No, it’s alright, I wouldn’t want to be a bother,” she put her hands up. 

“It’s no problem at all!” Jake replied quickly.

“Well, I’d feel bad that you have to go out of your way…” she pretended to be torn between the two decisions.

“Don’t feel bad, I really wouldn’t mind.” He tried again, and Jiheon saw Sunoo just shaking his head and smiling. 

“Just say yes, Jiheon,” Sunoo demanded. “You know you need the help.”

Jiheon let out a small sigh and a smile, holding her hands behind her back. “Okay, okay. I really appreciate it. My family will pay well,” she assured.

Jake smiled with the edge of his lip turned up. “It’s alright, no payment necessary.”

“Come on Jake, if you’re gonna tutor me, then I should compensate you. Trust me, I’m a difficult student,” she teased.

“How about this,” Jake suggested. “You can bring me free pizzas every now and then. They really are delicious.” 

Sunoo raised his eyebrow at that. Jiheon just perked up at the idea - she got free pizza every month from Pizza Melody, and she was quite honestly sick of pizza, so this was a win-win.

“Okay, agreed!” 

**\-- The next morning --**

Jiheon was nearly giddy as she stepped into the school gates with Sunoo. They’d arrived a bit early at her request just so they could have a potential spotting of Sunghoon in the courtyard. She was planning to finally ask him for a selfie after mustering up the courage.

“If we don’t see him now, will you still ask him at lunch?” Sunoo sat on the edge of the giant fountain in the courtyard, placing his bag down. Jiheon sat next to him. 

“No doubt. I’ve gotten braver since yesterday,” she announced, proud of her determination. 

“Well, it’s about time you got bold instead of making me do all the dirty work.” Sunoo teased her.

“Listen, I’ll make it happen.” Jiheon said, hell bent on getting that selfie.

Minutes passed, and there was still no sight of Sunghoon. They were both playing games on their phones, looking up every once in a while to see if he would show up.

Jiheon was mentally ready to give up and was about to suggest that they head to class - when she spotted a sleek black Lincoln SUV pulled up at the front gates. She quickly clicked the “off” button on her phone and sat up straight, at full attention. Maybe it was…?

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Sunghoon step out of the backseat, looking amazingly handsome even in the simple school uniform. Her heart rate started speeding up, and she held her wrist to stop from shaking. Even though she’d seen him just yesterday, it was still nerve-wracking being so close.

A grey Cadillac pulled up right behind his car, and a girl stepped out. Jiheon couldn’t remember her name, but she was really pretty, with silky black hair below the shoulder. She was the one sitting at Sunghoon’s table yesterday. Probably a follower. 

“Quick, go ask for a selfie!” Sunoo nudged her in the side as he whisper-shouted.

Jiheon almost tripped over her feet as she scurried over to Sunghoon, opening the camera app as quickly as she could. He saw her approaching and stopped in his tracks, almost like he was used to it.

“Um, hi S-Sunghoon. I was wondering if I could, um, get a selfie?” She tried to collect herself even though it felt like she was in the middle of an earthquake.

Sunghoon sighed deeply as if he was being inconvenienced and took her phone out of her hands. He lifted it up and clicked the side button, snapping a singular picture. Jiheon didn’t even have time to pose.

“There.” He handed her back her phone. 

“Oh, um, thank you, s-so much. I really appreciate-.” But he was already walking away before she could finish her sentence.

Jiheon kind of stood there in shock for a moment, not even comprehending what had just happened. She could feel her heart thrashing in her chest. She had to force herself to step away from the spot she seemed to be frozen in. She craned her neck and saw Sunoo looking expectantly, waiting for her to come back over.

She walked over to him, clutching her phone as if her life depended on it. Without saying a word, she just sat down beside him, not blinking even once. 

“I honestly didn’t think you would actually follow through with that,” Sunoo snickered. “But it seems like he took the picture, so good jo-”

“He spoke to me!” Jiheon interrupted, suddenly turning her head to face him. “We… we talked! Well, he talked. But still-” 

“I know, I saw,” Sunoo said, scoffing and patting her shoulder. “Congratulations.”

She opened her phone and stared down at the photo. Her mouth was slightly widened in the picture, and she looked confused, but Sunghoon’s cool stare took up most of the screen, just how she wanted it. She squealed and hugged her phone.

“I did it!” Jiheon exclaimed. She felt all the pressure leave her body, and she sighed in relief. “I really did it.” 

“Now we both have awkward photos with Sunghoon,” Sunoo’s eyes shifted into crescent moons as he smiled. “Bet you didn’t imagine this would ever happen.”

“I really didn’t.” She continued hugging her phone, “Sunoo, how much time before class?” she asked.

Sunoo looked down at his phone. “15 minutes, why?”

“I’m just gonna run to the bathroom,” she said, standing up. 

“Alright, hurry up, though! If you’re not back in 10 minutes, I’m going without you,” Sunoo warned. 

**\-- In the bathroom --**

Jiheon clutched her phone to her chest, her jaw starting to hurt from how much she was grinning. She couldn’t believe it. She finally had a photo with her idol.

She pushed open the bathroom door, walking with a jump in her step. She hummed and went up to the mirror to check how she looked. 

A girl stood by the other mirror, applying a pink tube of lipgloss. It was the girl from earlier who came out of the grey Cadillac. 

The girl glanced at her through the mirror; her eyes were fierce, piercing into Jiheon’s. With knitted eyebrows, she stared for a few seconds before speaking.

“Yang Jiheon, is it?”

“Um, yes?” Jiheon answered, jumping a bit when she heard her name. 

The girl capped her tube of lipgloss and turned towards her, hand on her hip. She smiled. “You really think Sunghoon’s going to pay attention to you now?”

Jiheon didn’t know how to respond. “Huh?” she asked, not projecting very loudly. She was confused at the sudden confrontation.

“Delete that picture of you two. You don’t need to be spreading that shit around.” Saerom said simply, taking her hand off of her hip to glance at her nails.

“What do you mean, delete it? No!” Jiheon said louder this time, hugging her phone close to her chest. 

“You’re going to listen to me.” Saerom stepped closer, and Jiheon backed up. 

“But…I really like Sunghoon, and… ” Jiheon’s voice started to fade out as she spoke.

Saerom snarled as she got up in Jiheon’s face and snatched her phone out of her grasp. Jiheon gasped and tried to take it back, but she held it out of her reach.

“I’m Sunghoon’s future girlfriend. I really don’t need his little fangirls getting in my way.” Saerom gripped the phone with all her might and threw it on the floor, cracking the screen. Jiheon gasped and covered her mouth as she saw the screen go dark.

“What did you- just what the hell is wrong with you?” tears started forming in her eyes, and she struggled to form coherent sentences. “I haven’t backed it up in months!”

“Good,” Saerom smirked, seeming to be satisfied with that reply. “Because if you’d backed it up, I would’ve gotten rid of that too.” She lifted up her heel and stomped on the phone, crushing each individual piece of screen, making it unsalvageable. Jiheon tried to hold back the sob in her throat. 

She couldn’t even say anything. She knew there was nothing she could do. She just rushed out of the bathroom, trying to get as far away from the girl as possible.

\--- 

“God, why’s she taking so long?” Sunoo walked through the halls, checking his phone to see if she’d sent any messages. It’d nearly been 10 minutes, and that wasn’t usual of Jiheon, so he decided to check on her. He turned the hall, ready to scold her for taking up his time - but stopped short when he saw her sitting down, crumpled against the wall outside the girl’s bathroom.

He rushed over and leaned down next to her. Her only movement was a soft shaking and drawn in gasps, clearly trying to hold back tears. “Jiheon, what’s going on? What happened?” he put a hand on her shoulder, knitting his eyebrows. 

She looked up; her eyes were red with mascara smeared across her face. Sunoo grimaced, wondering how she could go from being packed with excitement to looking so… worn down. 

“I-I don’t even know what just happened,” she choked out her words. “I just went into the bathroom, and this girl - I think she’s one of Sunghoon’s groupies - she just - she broke my phone.”

“What?” Sunoo said, exasperated at what he’d just heard. “Someone broke your phone?”

She nodded. “I didn’t have it backed up, so I lost-” she hiccuped. “Everything.” she put her face back into her knees. 

Sunoo stood up. “Who the fuck would do something like that? Who was it?”

“The girl… the girl who was sitting at Sunghoon’s table yesterday,” She sniffled. “She was mad that I’d taken a photo and-”

“Saerom?!” He clenched his fists, knowing exactly why the girl from his Musical Theatre group had done it. She was obsessed with Sunghoon. 

Just as he was ready to go find the bitch, Sunghoon, in all his glory, appeared around the corner of the hallway. He was looking down at his phone, taking rapid strides, as if he needed to be somewhere. Nobody was surrounding him; he was finally alone, and Sunoo thanked the gods for that. He didn’t need anyone to see what was about to happen.

“Hey, Sunghoon.” Sunoo called out to him. Sunghoon stopped, one foot still ahead of the other. He looked up from his phone. 

He got up in Sunghoon’s face, moving forward until Sunghoon was backed up against the wall.  
“Do you know what the hell your little groupie did?” Sunghoon just scrunched his nose, staring at him like he was a crazy person. 

“Excuse me?” Sunghoon asked, his voice flat. He didn’t even sound confused, just annoyed.

“I said,” Sunoo repeated himself, grabbing Sunghoon by the collar. “Do you know what the hell your little groupie did?” he spat.

Sunghoon took hold of Sunoo’s thin wrist and shoved his arm away. Sunoo backed up a bit, not sure how Sunghoon would react. But Sunghoon didn’t move forward.

Sunoo put his arms down and continued. “My friend’s phone is broken because of one of your stupid fangirls,” he snapped at him. 

Sunghoon’s face lit up at that like a lightbulb went off in his head, and he sighed heavily, crossing his arms. “It’s not like I can control what Saerom does,” he said.

“Oh, so you know who it is, huh?” He narrowed his eyes and looked at him with the most disgusted glare he could manage. “Guess this has happened more than once, hasn’t it? And I bet you don’t give a shit cause it doesn’t directly affect you. Am I right?”

“It’s fine…” Jiheon’s meek voice spoke up from the other side of the hallway. “Just… leave it. It’s not his fault.”

Sunoo looked over at her, and seeing her pitiful expression just made him even angrier at Sunghoon. “It’s not fine! It’s-”

“Look,” Sunghoon finally stepped forward, interrupting his train of thought. “How about I buy a new phone for her? Alright?” 

Jiheon’s head peeked up at that. “A… new phone?”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you want.” Sunghoon said, incenserity seeping from his voice. “Any brand, version… just say the word, it’s yours.”

“You think a new phone will fix this?” Sunoo crossed his arms, trying to maintain an icy expression. 

On the other hand, Sunghoon’s eyes looked bored, empty. He looked as if he just wanted to leave the confrontation.

“Sunoo - seriously, it’s fine. Um,” She stood up, wiping her face and then clasping her bag. She forced a smile towards Sunghoon. “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t want to inconvenience you.” She then glanced over to Sunoo. “Sunoo, I’m just gonna head to class.” Her breath was shaky, and she turned the corner, head facing down. 

Sunoo was about to go after her, but he noticed Sunghoon start to walk in the opposite direction just as she left. Sunoo immediately reached out and grabbed his arm as he was walking by.

“We’re not done,” Sunoo asserted. “You said you’d buy her a new phone, didn’t you?”

Sunghoon’s expression finally hardened. “She said she didn’t want it.”

“Are you really that dense?” Sunoo shook his head and let go of Sunghoon’s arm. “You’re her idol; she’d say anything that she thinks you’d want to hear.”

“And what am I supposed to do about that?” Sunghoon turned to face him. 

“Look, I’ll make you an offer.” Sunoo started. “You go with Jiheon this weekend and pick out a phone - at a mall or a phone shop. If you do that, I’ll consider this resolved. I won’t bother you anymore about it.”

“Just tell me what brand she wants, I’ll order it online.” Sunghoon retorted.

“No! Either you go with her to get one or I won’t let you forget about this.” Sunoo raised his voice, trying to seem as assertive as possible. "It's the only way you can truly make it up to her."

The smallest smile appeared on Sunghoon’s face, almost undetectable. “Alright. I’ll go.” 

Sunoo’s eyes widened at that, kind of shocked that he agreed. He was planning to bug him until he’d either walked away or given in, but he didn’t actually expect him to… give in. 

“But-” Sunghoon continued. “Only if you come too.” 

Sunoo tilted his head, confused at his proposal. “What? Why do I have to come?”

Sunghoon shrugged, leaning back against the wall and kicking a foot up. “If I’m spotted alone with a girl, the media will be all over it. I can’t let that happen.”

“I-” Sunoo looked down, thinking about his reasoning. It’s true, if Sunghoon got in a dating scandal, he could lose a lot of fans. And with Sunoo there, people would just assume he was shopping with a group of friends. “I… guess I can go.” he finally answered. 

Sunghoon let his foot down and put a hand in his pocket. “Guess it’s settled.” he reached the other hand. “Give me your phone, I’ll put my number in.”

Sunoo scoffed. “No, give me _your_ phone. I don’t trust you with mine.” 

Sunghoon raised an eyebrow, chuckling a bit at his response. “Is that so?” Sunghoon took his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it. “Well, go ahead. Put your number in then.” 

Snatching his phone, Sunoo quickly typed his number into the contacts and promptly shoved it back. “There.”

The bell rang just as Sunghoon took his phone back. He didn’t say anything else, just walked in the direction he originally was going. 

Sunoo sighed and walked the other way, still kind of amazed that his plan worked out. He turned a few corners and was thinking of how to tell Jiheon the good news, when a ding rang out on his phone. He pulled it out of his bag. _New contact_ appeared on the very top, and he clicked the message bar.

_This Saturday, Apgujeong. Meet in front of the Hyundai Department store at 12:00 PM._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I know it's been longer than 2 weeks since I posted, sorry about that.
> 
> I'm having a minor surgery tomorrow and recovery time is around 2 weeks, so I'll probably have the next chapter out about 3 weeks from now, give or take. Thanks for your patience.


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